US Capitol Christmas Tree

While I don’t hug every tree I meet, it’s hard not to hug a humungous cedar tree that has been standing there for hundreds of years.

Tucked up in the far northwest corner of Montana, the Ross Creek Cedars Scenic Area on
the Kootenai National Forest features the towering trees you’d expect to find in the damp Northwest. After driving up four miles of paved road to the
trailhead, a tall cedar stands right in the middle of the parking lot as if to say, “I can’t be bothered by all you visitors.”

Most who visit the cedars slowly make their way around the 0.9-mile nature trail which
features several interpretive signs as well as many benches to simply take in the wonder of these huge trees. If you’d like to escape the crowds for
a few minutes as we did, you can easily hop off the short nature trail and continue up the trail to Ross Creek.

Besides the trees, other exciting flora and fauna add to the experience. Giant leaves of the Devil’s
club, bigger than your head, are tempting to touch. However, as the signs warn, the leaves and stems are covered in noxious and irritating spines and
shouldn’t be handled.

As we made our way back to the main nature trail, we came upon two whitetail deer: a doe and buck who seemed perfectly at ease despite the many nearby
cries and shouts from hikers.

If all that tree hugging and exploring rouse your appetite, two picnic tables beneath
cedars at the trailhead offer the perfect respite.

The Ross Creek Cedars offer a unique experience on the Kootenai National Forest for all ages. Whether you have an hour or four hours to see these giants,
it’s well worth the stop.

“PeoplesTree” will make cross-country journey from Montana to WashingtonD.C.

Libby, MT – September 14, 2017 – Every year, a different National Forest is selected to provide a tree
to appear on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the Christmas season. The Kootenai National Forest in partnership with non profit Choose Outdoors
will bring this special gift from Montana to Washington, D.C. for the 2017 season, involving more than 15 communities along the way.

The tree will be cut on Wednesday, November 8 and prepared for the more than 3,000-mile expedition, which includes a series of community
celebrations and culminates with the official tree lighting in early December. The tree will make special appearances at whistle stops including:

Monday, Nov. 13: Eureka, MT; Whitefish, MT

Tuesday, Nov. 14: Libby, MT; Troy, MT; and Trout Creek, MT

Wednesday, Nov. 15: Thompson Falls, MT; and Missoula, MT

Thursday, Nov. 16: Helena, MT; and Great Falls, MT

Friday, Nov. 17: Harlem (Fort Belknap), MT; and Glasgow, MT

Saturday, Nov. 18: Glendive, MT; and Dickinson, ND

Sunday, Nov 19: Grand Forks, ND; and Browns Valley, MN

Monday, Nov 20: Kansas City, MO

Tuesday, Nov. 21: Springfield, MO

Wednesday, Nov. 22: Poplar Bluff, MO; and Paducah, KY

Sunday, Nov. 26: Joint Base Andrews

Monday, Nov. 27: Deliver to U.S. Capitol

After arriving in Washington, D.C. the tree lighting will occur in early December as determined by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

This is the second U.S. Capitol Christmas tree to come from the Kootenai National Forest. With all of the wildfires burning on the Kootenai National Forest
this summer, the 2017 Capitol Christmas Tree and back-up tree have not been affected. The initiative is made possible thanks to companies large and
small as well as volunteers locally and across America, who provide vital support of time and resources, including Skybitz, Kenworth, WhitewoodTransport,
Rocky Mountain Ballet Theater, HaleTrailers, AlaskaAirlines, MontanaCraneService, Meritor, Truckload Carriers Association, Sky Snap, ABC FOX Montana,
National Forest Foundation, National Automobile Dealers Association, and Permit Wizard.

For tour information, event details, news and updates, and to track the tree cross-country, visit www.capitolchristmastree.com or www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai.

About the Kootenai National Forest: The Kootenai
National Forest is in the extreme Northwest corner of Montana and Northeast Idaho and encompasses over 2.2 million acres, an area nearly three times
the size of Rhode Island. The Forest is bordered on the north by British Columbia, Canada, and on the west by Idaho. Ranges of high craggy peaks mark
the Forest with Snowshoe Peak in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness at 8,738 feet, the highest point. The Whitefish Range, Purcell Mountains, Bitterroot
Range, Salish Mountains, and Cabinet Mountains are all part of the rugged terrain radiating from the river valleys. The Forest is dominated by two
major rivers, the Kootenai and the Clark Fork, along with several smaller rivers and their tributaries. Two hydro electric dams on the Clark Fork have
created the Cabinet Gorge and Noxon reservoirs within the Forest boundary. For more information, visitfs.usda.gov/Kootenai.

About the U.S. Forest Service The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs
of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land; provides assistance to state and private landowners; and maintains
the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each
year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per
year. For more information, see www.fs.fed.us.

About Choose Outdoors:

Choose Outdoors works to increase all American's enjoyment, appreciation and support for outdoor recreation activities that connect
them to our public lands. These connections will ensure that our public lands will always be there for future generations to cherish. www.chooseoutdoors.org.

For over 35 years, Montana Crane Service has been serving
the community of Bozeman. With a fleet of cranes ranging from 14 to 140 tons, Montana Crane Service has the ability to help with any task, and this
year that includes the 2017 Capitol Christmas Tree.

The team has been preparing for the event for quite some time, and a team of 3 operators will have the honor and task of helping removing the U.S. Capitol
Christmas Tree and loading it as it makes its way from the Kootenai National Forest to Washington D.C. “We’re thrilled to be a part of the 2017 tour,”
explained Mandy Jo McKeever, who leads Dispatch and Safety at Montana Crane Service. “We are regularly a part of community events, but this is definitely
the largest project we’ve been asked to work on, and we’re excited.”

Montana Crane Service currently works with several community events in Bozeman including “Digger Days” with Eagle Mount, an organization that provides quality therapeutic activities for people of all disabilities. Construction
companies from all over Bozeman come together to provide equipment and vehicles for the public to view and explore for a small fee as an effort to
raise funds for Eagle Mount activities. Other community events include the City of Bozeman’s annual “Touch a Truck,” which allows the public to explore
the cranes and machinery of construction companies.

Montana Crane Service doesn’t just provide cranes; the team also services customers in moving machinery, heavy hauling,
crane certifications and more. “One day our team could be doing a tree removal, the other could be installing an AC unit.” explained McKeever. The
team also utilizes the machinery to help hang Christmas lights in Bozeman for the community in early December

“We sincerely appreciate the enthusiasm and support from Montana Crane Service and so many others,” shared Choose Outdoors President Bruce Ward. “We couldn't
continue this great American tradition without the passion of the US Forest Service staff, the generosity and commitment we receive each year from
companies like Montana Crane Service and hundreds of volunteers from across the country."

A few weeks ago, Bozeman Operations Manager, Nick Poncelet, accompanied the forest service in Kootenai National Forest to help scout out the tree location.
“We couldn’t be more excited to meet so many people through this event and be a part of Montana’s history with the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree!” exclaimed
McKeever.

Recent Posts

The 2018 United States Capitol Christmas Tree campaign has reached a new phase of its official process this week. A representative of the Architect of
the Capitol is visiting the Willamette National Forest to review candidate trees and to select the Capitol Christmas Tree, which be displayed on the
West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in December. Making the trip from Washington, D.C. is Jim Kaufmann, the Director of the Capitol Grounds and Arboretum
at the Architect of the Capitol, the federal agency responsible for the operations and care of the U.S. Capitol buildings and grounds.

Together with the local “tree team,” which includes foresters and a botanist, Kaufmann is currently evaluating tree candidates and will select the 2018
U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, although the winning tree and its location will be kept secret for security reasons until it is cut down in early November.

Kaufmann will be evaluating each tree for a variety of desired characteristics, including being 65-85 feet in height, having a straight
stem, uniform branching, a perfectly conical shape, natural density, and rich green color. Each of the tree candidates is either a Douglas or Noble
fir tree, the two most iconic conifer species in both the Willamette National Forest and the state. The Douglas fir is Oregon’s official state tree.
Also of great importance is the tree’s accessibility by crane and semitruck for when it’s time for it to be harvested. Additionally, the U.S. Forest
Service is evaluating each location to ensure the protection of sensitive habitats and species.

“Oregon is known around the country for its spectacular natural beauty, including its incredible national forests. It’s a privilege to visit the Willamette
National Forest to select the 2018 Capitol Christmas Tree,” said Kaufmann. “I have no d
oubt that we will find the perfect tree for the West Lawn of the Capitol, and we’re thrilled to have Oregon be an important part of the nation’s holiday
celebration this year.” “It’s very exciting to have reached this stage of the yearlong U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree process, which started in January
when the U.S. Forest Service announced that the Willamette National Forest had been selected to provide the 2018 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree,” said
Nikki Swanson, Sweet Home District Ranger. “We have identified some absolutely beautiful candidates that will represent the State of Oregon perfectly,
and we look forward to unveiling the winning tree in November, as we tour it along the Oregon Trail on its way to Washington, D.C.”

The U.S. Forest Service has provided the Capitol Christmas Tree every year since 1970. In January 2018, the U.S. Forest Service announced
that the 2018 Capitol Christmas Tree would come from Oregon’s Willamette National Forest. A gift from the Willamette National Forest and the State
of Oregon to the people of the United States, the tree will be displayed on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., with a public
tree-lighting ceremony in early December 2018. The last time Oregon was chosen to provide the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was in 2002, when a tree
was selected from the Umpqua National Forest. Seventy smaller companion trees will also be sent to Washington, D.C., from the Willamette National Forest
to decorate government buildings and public spaces this December. Additionally, Oregonians will contribute 10,000 handmade ornaments, to be created
throughout 2018. There is still a great need for weatherproof ornaments that are nine to twelve inches in size to decorate the Capitol Christmas tree.
Information on upcoming ornament making events, plus a template for creating one at home, is available online.

The theme for the 2018 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is “Find Your Trail!” in recognition of two 2018 anniversaries: the 50th anniversary of the National
Trails System Act and the 175th commemoration of the Oregon Trail. In November, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree will travel eastward from Oregon on
the reverse path of the Oregon Trail. The schedule and special events will be announced this fall. There is still a chance for people to win a trip
for two to Washington, D.C., to attend the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree lighting and festivities through the “Find Your Ornament” contest. Earlier this
summer, 200 glass ornaments were hidden along non-wilderness trails on the Willamette National Forest for lucky adventurers to find. In addition to
a keepsake ornament, more than 120 winners will be awarded prizes, and all entrants will be automatically entered to win the grand prize trip to Washington,
D.C. The contest runs through October 2, 2018. Further details are available at the Willamette Valley Visitors Association.

We hope to create 2,000 additional large ornaments as part of our larger goal of sending 10,000 ornaments to D.C. this year. All Oregon residents are invited
to create and submit ornaments directly to us or to attend an upcoming ornament making event.

Make your own: large
ornaments should be 9-12 inches, reflective and colorful, lightweight and waterproof. They cannot include any logos. Download this brochure for specifications and themes. For ornament ideas, check out our photos and instructions posted here. Keep in mind these are just ideas; feel free to get creative!
All ornaments must be received by October 1 and can be dropped off in person at any one of our drop locations located here or mailed to the Sweet Home
Ranger District at: 4431 Hwy 20, Sweet Home OR 97386.

It’s no surprise that Iron Mountain is one of the most well-known hikes on the Sweet Home Ranger District. The area is home to more than 300 species of
flowering plants and jaw-dropping geology. There are several different access points to the trail near Highway 20 east of Sweet Home. Hikers can enjoy
a range of treks from a 1 mile jaunt up to summit from the Civil Road trailhead, or a longer 9 mile loop that includes Cone Peak. A viewing platform
sits on the summit at the site of an old fire lookout. On a clear day, one can see all the way north to Mt Hood and south to the Three Sisters. Peak
wildflower season is July, so this is the perfect opportunity to check out Iron Mountain!

The Crescent Mountain hike is challenging but with great scenic rewards! The main trailhead (south trailhead) is located a short distance from Santiam
Pass. The trail winds through lush old growth trees before switch-backing through an expansive meadow. After 4 miles, the trails tops out at the summit
with an elevation gain of over 2,000 feet. The hike pays dividends with spectacular views of the Cascade Mountains and wildflowers. Since this is not
a wilderness trail, Crescent Mountain is open to multiple uses including mountain bikes and horses. Please remember to be respectful and share the
trail!